


Sense of Reality (Part 4 of the Other Senses Series)

by ssa_archivist



Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, Humor, M/M, episode-related
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-09-27
Updated: 2002-09-27
Packaged: 2017-11-01 06:08:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/352910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssa_archivist/pseuds/ssa_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lex dreams of being Alexander the Great.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sense of Reality (Part 4 of the Other Senses Series)

## Sense of Reality (Part 4 of the Other Senses Series)

by Dane

[]()

* * *

Sense of Reality (Part 4 of the Other Senses Series) By Dane 

If anyone were to ask which historical figure Lex Luthor would ask to dinner, he would say with great reverence 'Alexander the Great'. A man who conquered the known world during his time before he reached the age of 30. So, its not so strange that Lex would dream about putting himself in the man's place. In a past life, he was probably Alexander himself. 

In his dreams, he would sometimes see himself on top on a hill, overlooking his troops before he had them decimate the ancient city of Thebes. In one day, a famous Greek city whose army and fortification were the strongest known then was razed to the ground because they didn't recognized the power he held. Sometimes, he would see himself witnessing the assassination of Philip, Alexander's father, who bore a great resemblance to Lionel in his subconscious. Usually, he would dream about some aspect of Alexander's life since he thoroughly studied his life like a biographer, tracing and knowing every single detail about the young man who helped shape the borders of the modern world. 

Right now, his dreams was of the same flow, but of a different scene; one that is wholly unfamiliar in fantasy but familiar in reality. 

Lex, as Alexander, was laid out; covered only with pelts, in a temple dedicated to Apollo, the God of Light, Music, and Medicine. He was wounded from a recent battle, which he won at a dire cost. The priests, trained in the arts of healing, were not confident for the wound is deep and dangerously close to the heart. Only the intercession of the Gods would help the young conqueror. In despair, he told everyone to leave him in peace and close the sanctuary's doors. Alexander was close to death when came the dawn, and then something amazing happened. A light as intense as the sun shined at the main altar, blinding him until the light receded. He looked towards the altar and saw, in all of his bright glory, Apollo himself in an aura of golden luminance. The God's beauty struck a chord of awe in the soul of the young king and he trembled in fear as he walked towards him. Apollo's eyes were blue-green, and shining, while his lips were full and smiling, and the hair was thick and wavy. He smelt of sweet wine and sun-dried raisins and ambrosia, which all filled his senses like a welcoming taste of heaven. Alexander felt the touch of Thanatos and he knew the end was near, but it is not the intention of the Sun God to allow such a thing to happen. He knelt beside the weak king, reassured him with his warm touch, and placed the kiss of life on his lips, filling his body with healing power. The process drove the king to sleep. Before Alexander could thank the God, Apollo smiled and told the Macedonian to rest and close his eyes. 

Later on, Alexander awoke to the sight at first he thought of the God of the Sun, but instead was his lover and best friend Hephaiston. Until that moment, Alexander never noticed the similarities between the God and his friend, whose loyalty meant the world to him. The king only smiled as Hephaiston, with his dark wavy hair and tall stature, just stared down at him with love in his eyes and stayed with him until the priests came back to the main temple. 

* * *

Reality came slow to Lex's senses as he tried to discern where he was. Someone was shaking him and calling his name softly, telling him to wake up but his eyes refused to open. He recognized the lumps that he knew that Clark's couch had, so must have fallen asleep in the loft. There was a warm quilt surrounding his body, so he didn't feel the immediate need to get up and go. Suddenly, he felt compelled to wake, as if by an irresistible force. Slowly, he opened his eyes to wake and, much like his dream, the first thing he saw was a familiar pair of bright blue-green eyes. The face, which the eyes were attached to, grinned widely. In turn, Lex felt his mouth tug into a smile. 

"Welcome back," the angelic face said. "Get up! Mom has dinner for us." After he said those words, Clark pulled the comfortable quilt, which snuggly cocooned Lex, and forced him to the floor. The teenager flashed him a mischievous smile and dashed right out of the loft right back to the Kent house. 

Once Lex freed himself from the confines of the quilt, he ran after Clark. Hot on his trail, he shouted to his escaping friend, "Good to be back, you asshole!" He heard the door to the kitchen slam and Lex followed him there. Inside the house, Lex only found a bemused Martha Kent, who pointed to the pantry. Lex nodded his thanks and listened in to Clark's soft giggling through the door. Quick as lightning, Lex opened the door and pounced on Clark and, as a result, burst a bag of flour in their struggle. They only stopped wrestling when Lex succeeded in putting the younger man into a hold and did a noogie on his head. 

"Okay! Okay! I give!" yelped Clark, though he didn't want to admit to his friend that the noogie didn't do anything to him. All of them shared a laugh at Clark's expense and settled down enough for Martha to tell them to change up before dinner. 

"You both looked like you came from an accident in a bakery," she commented, already reaching for the nearest dustpan. "Now, go up and change. Dinner can wait a few more minutes." 

Lex tried to protest, but was shooed upstairs by her broom. "I hope you have something in my size, Clark." They entered his room, and the first thing that Lex noticed was that it was cleaner than the last time he was here, more sparse. 

Clark noticed his friend's appraising looks and said, "I've been cleaning up my room for the past few days." Clark dug into his drawers and pulled out an old gray shirt and a pair of old jogging pants for Lex. "After living in Keystone for the past 2 months and 2 weeks, I've taken up to changing a few things in my life to make things easier for myself." 

Lex tried not to stare as Clark began to strip. It was funny that Lex only entertained such thoughts in passing since it's been so long that Lex even had an encounter with a guy. It was way back in boarding school with, of all people, the enigmatic Bruce Wayne. 

Aesthetically, Clark was perfect; he couldn't deny that. His body was long, tanned, and taut. He wasn't overly muscled, just toned the way a swimmer body does. Clark also wasn't as hairy as Lex thought he would be, just fine minute hairs on his arms and legs. His haircut was different now than from his usual shaggy mane, but Lex guessed that this was a long time coming. And the way he moved. That was it. That was the big difference. His movements weren't as clumsy and slow as they used to be. It was as if he was so sure of himself. Shaking himself of such thoughts, Lex quickly changed out of his compromised garments and into the spare clothing that Clark offered. When he was done changing, he saw Clark blatantly staring at him. 

"You know, Lex," he said, now changed into a pair of khaki shorts and a blue button-down shirt. Lex never thought he would think this but Clark looked extremely sexy like he did right now. "You should dress down more. I think people with respect you more around here if you started to look like normal. Just the way you do right now." 

"Clark, I hate to burst your bubble, but I look like a bum." 

Clark laughed. "No, you don't. You looked more like yourself. Just because you have to be a hard-ass at work doesn't mean you have to be one outside of it. You may think that its like showing your emotions in public but people like seeing other people relax at certain times. It helps ease away your stress, as well as theirs. I mean, wear more casual clothing and stuff. Think of it as lulling them into your zone." Lex did a mental shrug and followed Clark as he unconsciously held his hand out to go to dinner. 

* * *

Dinner was an enjoyable affair for everyone at the Kent house. Since Jonathan wasn't around until the next day, virtually no tension could be felt as the banter flowed easy between the three of them. Lex regaled all of them a PG-13 version of his recent adventures in Europe, while Clark in turn told of his experiences in Keystone, omitting certain things as not to get a scolding from his mom. Both of them signaled to each other that they would disclose fully their stories later. Martha listened to them and offered her memories of France and her brief love affair with Dmitri in the days before Jonathan, after Lex said that the perfume smelled nice on her. Chloe called around dessert time and tried to convince Clark to go to the movies with them. 

"What's showing?" asked Lex after swallowing some ice cream. Clark looked at Lex and felt a tinge of 'something' before focusing on his question. Lex was licking the spoon like it was a lollipop. 

"Bourne Identity," answered Clark, and Lex stood up. He quickly gulped down the Ben and Jerry's and told Clark to put on some shoes. "Why?" he asked, still holding the phone to his ear with Chloe intently listening to their exchange. 

"Because I loved the book and I've been waiting like forever to watch it. Tell Chloe that we will meet her at the Multiplex in an hour. We got to pass by my place quickly so I wouldn't embarrass myself in public by wearing your oversized clothing" 

Clark raised an eyebrow and placed the phone to his ear again. "Hear that Chloe? Alexander the Great just decreed that we are watching a movie with you and Pete tonight. You've just been warned." Clark chortled a bit. "Okay, we'll see you there." 

Lex and Clark were out the door when Martha shouted, "Just bring him back by midnight, Lex. He still has some chores to do in the morning." 

"Okay, Mrs. Kent," assured Lex as they hopped into Lex's Jaguar. Martha smiled faintly and went back to her memories of Paris when she was eighteen. 

* * *

"OH MY GOD!" exclaimed Chloe as they left the theatre about three hours later. Lex, now dressed like what Clark suggested in dark jeans and a black v-neck sweater when they went to the Castle for a quick change, was in euphoria because of how amazing the movie was. Clark and Pete were equally spellbound by the spy thriller. 

Since it was the weekend, Lana closed up the Talon later than usual for the people who finished their movies late and decided to have a nightcap with a late dessert. She came to join their party of four after serving all of them the last of the chocolate fudge cake. 

"So how was the movie guys?" she asked while pony-tailing her long straight hair. All of them started to talk at the same time, except for Lex who merely sat back and watched the rest of them blather at the movie. Lana shushed them all and pointed to Clark. 

"It was awesome, Lana. I had my doubts at first, but this was an amazing movie to watch. I didn't expect Matt Damon to be a terrific spy. He and that girl from 'Run Lola Run' had chemistry." 

"Run Lola Run? Since when do Juniors in high school watch German Art Flicks?" queried Lex. 

"Since me and Lana watched it together last year while we were in Metropolis last year," said Clark before biting into another piece of the fudge cake. 

Lex didn't show it but a hit of jealousy struck his nerves. Clark didn't say that he and Lana went on a date, but it suspiciously sounded like one. Not since that aborted attempt in Clark's freshman year. Maybe he was overreacting. "So, how did you like it?" 

"It was one of the best ways to avoid the rain that we ever had the fortune of doing, I think," said Lana. "It was only too bad that we weren't able to finish our assignment in Biology because we only had an hour before the zoo closed on us. We would have wasted half the day if we hadn't found that old cinema that showed Art Films." 

"Yeah, the movie was cool. Seeing the girl do various things because a precious few seconds changed all the time. But honestly, give me a romantic comedy or Kevin Smith movies any day. Things are weird enough around these parts." 

"You got that right," said Pete, warmed enough to Lex thanks to his gift. "By the way, Lex, what do you think of our Clark's latest transformation?" 

His eyes became slits in curiosity. "What transformation? The clothes? The confidence? Nothing new in my world." 

Chloe was taken aback. "What do you mean nothing new? Its like Clark is a whole different person." 

Lex gave Clark a rueful smile and sighed. "It's nothing new because I've always seen Clark's potential. He can be confident when he wants to; its just he doesn't have any initiative until now. I've already seen him in good clothes because I took him to party, and then clubbing during a weekend in Metropolis. When he doesn't think about doubting himself, he can work a room like he's the most charming person in the world. I've seen him in action. The women at that club we visited last March didn't stand a chance against him." Lex chuckled lightly at the perplexed reactions of Clark's friends and the spreading blush on Clark's face. That left all of them thinking, until Chloe remembered something. Lana and Pete breathed out in relief. As much as they loved Clark, they were tired of hearing about his 'cool attitude'. 

"Oh my God!" She reached into her bag and searched its contents until she found a folded flyer that she got from a fellow intern at the Daily Planet. "Speaking of clubbing," she said while unfolding the piece of paper, "someone I knew mentioned that there was going to a rave party outside the town limits next weekend. It's going to be fifteen years since the meteor storm and some people who visited the 'burning man' in the Mojave Desert wanted to organize something like that to commemorate. They plan to build up an alien effigy and burn it at midnight. Basically, they want everyone to come in costume." 

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Pete and grabbed the flyer from Chloe. "I'm in." 

"Me too. Now's a good time to party before school gets too intense," said Lana. 

Lex watched Clark as a myriad of emotions ranged over his expressive face. For a moment, he saw the recognizable guilt that Clark wore like he bore the weight of the world on his shoulders. Lex decided long ago that whatever secrets his friend had, he would respect his privacy since he almost lost that trust because of his own inquisitive nature. He knew that when the time would come, Clark would tell him all about it. 

"I don't know. Despite what Lex says, I'm not a big fan of parties," Clark tried to excuse himself. 

Shaking his head, Lex intervened. "You're going and that's final." They locked eyes. Kent stubbornness versus Luthor force of will. In the end, Clark conceded and said that he would go. Chloe and Lana shrieked in delight. 

"Oh, Clark. Remind me to thank that cousin of yours. Now, what are you guys going to wear?" asked Chloe to all of her friends. 

"I don't know, but Lex could go just wearing green paint. After all, he's already bald and has a big head," quipped Clark, before ducking to avoid a flying projectile of fudge cake. 

"Asshole!" said Lex. Everyone just laughed. 


End file.
